Ben Hamilton
October 8th, 2018

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In terms of volume after the Danes, the Turkish fans will probably be the biggest losers … if they qualify (photo: Arne List)

Danish-based football fans might be alarmed to find out that most of Euro 2020, if not all of it, won’t be shown on free-to-air television.

The Nordic Entertainment (Nent) Group has picked up the exclusive rights to the tournament, and it is only obliged to share some of the rights with the likes of state broadcaster DR should Denmark qualify for the tournament.

The deal means all the games will be broadcast on its Viaplay streaming service.

No longer the people’s right
According to the country’s crown jewel sports events list, the tournament is no longer classified as an event the Danish people have the right to view on free-to-air television.

For a long period, the European Broadcasting Union ensured that its members DR and TV2 (despite being a pay TV channel) acquired the rights for a pittance, but those days are now over.

In the case of the World Cup, FIFA does its best to make it easy for free-to-air broadcasters to pick up the rights to all the games cheaply, as it wants to offer its sponsors the maximum possible exposure.

Nent a serious player now
Nent recently broke away from Modern Times Group, and it has been operating as a separate entity since July.

It is believed it is currently bolstering its sports rights portfolio ahead of a probable IPO next year.

Højbjerg tipped to start in absence of Eriksen
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg is in contention to start for Denmark in the UEFA Nations League qualifier against the Republic of Ireland this Saturday. After being overlooked for the World Cup, the Southampton midfielder has been recalled to the squad following some sound performances in the English Premier League, and with Tottenham maestro Christian Eriksen out injured, along with FCK striker Viktor Fischer, he has a good chance of starting. The game kicks off in Dublin at 20:45.

Woz wins her third tournament of 2018
Caroline Wozniacki yesterday secured her third title of the year, brushing aside Anastasija Sevastova 6-3 6-3 in 87 minutes in Beijing to win the China Open, and the 30th of her career. The Dane’s victory follows ones in the Australian Open in late January and the Eastbourne Open grass tournament in June. Reaching the quarters had already ensured qualification for the WTA finals, in which the world number two will be the defending champion.

Women face uphill challenge to qualify for 2019 World Cup
The Danish women’s chances of qualifying for the 2019 World Cup look slender following a 0-2 loss in the Netherlands on Friday evening. The Danes could not halt a run that had seen them lose their previous six games to the Dutch, including two games at Euro 2017: a group game and the final. Despite acquitting themselves reasonably well, the Dutch led 2-0 at half-time and also hit the woodwork twice. The return leg is in Odense tomorrow evening, after which the winner will play Belgium or Switzerland (2-2 in their opener) for a place in next year’s finals.

Magnussen called “stupid” by opponent who ran into the back of him
Pundits believe that Kevin Magnussen was lucky to get away unpunished after he moved to his right to prevent Monégasque driver Charles Leclerc from overtaking him on the fourth lap of the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, resulting in an impact that eventually ruled both of them out of the race. “Magnussen is and will always be stupid. It’s a fact: a shame,” Leclerc said over his team radio. He later questioned why Magnussen wasn’t punished in light of the F1 clamping down on late defensive moves in previous seasons.

Eller continues where he left off as NHL resumes
Lars Eller has started the 2018-19 NHL season in similar fashion to the last. In the spring he scored the decisive goal to win the Stanley Cup for his side, the Washington Capitals, and he was again among the scorers as the Capitals thrashed the Boston Bruins 7-0. Goaltender Frederik Andersen also enjoyed a good start, winning plaudits for his performance as his side, the Toronto Maple Leafs, beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2.

ESPN buys rights deal to show weekly Superliga game
Stateside-based Danish football fans are rejoicing – yes, all seven of them – following the news that ESPN has picked up a rights deal to broadcast a weekly game from the Superliga in US. The deal is one of several similar rights contracts agreed by ESPN to broaden the range of European football it offers.

Dane wins Paris-Tours event with brave solo breakaway
The 24-year old Danish cyclist, Søren Kragh Andersen, achieved a rare breakaway victory in yesterday’s new-look Paris-Tours, soloing his way to victory with 11 km left to ride. The Sunweb cyclist, who was second in last year’s event, took advantage of a revised route that included nine gravel-road sections to win an event often referred to as the ‘Sprinters’ Classic’. The new route has been criticised by some teams, who believe the event is no longer a legitimate road cycling event.

Dane nominated for cyclist of the year award
Danish cyclist Michael Valgren has made the nominee shortlist for the prestigious Vélo d’Or award given out to the best rider of the season by French publication ‘Vélo Magazine’. Valgren has enjoyed a stellar season, winning the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Amstel Gold Race, but with all three (British) Grand Tour winners nominated, he will be hard-pushed to make the podium. “It’s very nice to be nominated, but I must be honest and say that it’s not a prize I knew about,” the 26-year-old told TV2 Sport. “I do not think I’ll win.” The Vélo d’Or was first handed out in 1992.

Youngster earning rave reviews scoring goals for Borussia
Borussia Dortmund’s Danish attacking midfielder Jacob Bruun Larsen has been compared to his club captain Marco Reus after a number of impressive performances for the first team – his breakthrough season after signing from Lyngby in January 2015. Last week, the 20-year-old became the 11th youngest ever Danish scorer in the Champions League as Borussia beat Monaco 3-0. The strike followed two goals in the Bundesliga. His team-mates include Thomas Delaney, a fellow Dane.

Danish-based striker ranked eighth best in the world
Brøndby’s Polish striker Kamil Wilczek is ranked among the top ten best goal-scorers on the planet by clubworldranking.com following an impressive start to the Superliga season in which he scored eight times in the opening ten games and another three in four Europa League starts. At present, he is ranked eighth, one place above Harry Kane, the 2018 World Cup Golden Boot winner. Ironically, the highest ranked Dane plays for a Polish club: Lech Poznan forward Christian Gytkjær, who is number 40.

World Cup punters behind huge increase in revenue
A flurry of wagers on the 2018 World Cup saw sports gambling revenue soar by 25 percent during the second quarter of 2018 compared to the same period last year, according to figures released by the Spillemyndigheden regulator. Around 650 million kroner was staked – the highest figure since Danske Spil lost its monopoly on online gambling in accordance with the Gaming Act in January 2012.  With a 39.7 percent market share, sports betting left online casino (32.9 percent) in its wake, as gambling raked in a total turnover of 1.63 billion kroner.